There was no need to build another grandstand.
Thousands of Ole Miss and Mississippi State (then-Mississippi A&M) fans made the trip to Jackson in November 1911, continuing a relatively new Thanksgiving tradition of watching the rival teams face off at the State Fairgrounds.
The main grandstand, which some fans had grown frustrated within recent years due to its poor visibility, remained mostly empty in the minutes leading up to kickoff. Spectators instead filled the smaller sideline stand and a temporary grandstand built only days earlier on the other side of the field.
Spectators paid an extra $0.